Hike to Oat – Outdoor Recreation | Dharamshala

Oat | Dharamshala

Raza Rahil Hussain

I reach Dharamshala early in the morning, the host Abhinav comes to pick me up at the bus stand. We head straight to Lunta Valley.

Host Abhinav & Kailash preparing their gears for the Hike. Kailash is the main guy and knows the surroundings very well, an avid hiker who has the many years of hiking experience in Indian Himalayas. So, he is pretty good and if you want to learn some tips, he is always ready for the help. Trek to Dhauladhar Mountains or Oat Trek is challenging task and challenge change from weather to weather. I did the Hike in November end so it was pretty cold. Through the MadTrek Adventures provides all the hiking gears that required but still it’s a good idea to take some basic gears with you. Here are the list of gears I used during my journey:

Hiking Tee (To Protect it from Direct Sunlight)

500 Hiking Trousers (Must recommended for all types of Hiking)

Rucksack (45L)

Outdoor Shoes

Hiking Pole

Torch (Much need if you’re staying overnight)

Sunglasses

Jacket (Water repellent)

Rain Jacket (Weather at Mountains are unpredictable)

Around 2 PM, we started tour hike to Bhagda Campsite which is located at the Height of 1900 meters along with 3 more people – Kailash (Avid Mountaineer & Owner of MadTrek Adventures), Mithu (The shepherd, every energetic & hardworking guy) & Jitendar (The Cook).

When we start from Zero Point, the little drizzle starts. We start our hike in drizzle but after few meters, the drizzle completely stopped. Hike at the Himalayas is never easy and just after the few meters, I realize the Hike would be tough and I miss my proper Hike shoe.

We started walking next to Manuni Stream, the overall sight was awesome, you’ll find dozen of small waterfalls throughout the trail. I recommend you to taste the water from natural springs.

After few meters, the trail got a little bit easier, thanks to Hydro project work going on at Dhauladhar mountain range. First few hours was beautiful and relaxing, you can enjoy the view of manuni stream, waterfall & the hanging bridge.

Trail near the river are always easy, but the easiness won’t last longer. Soon begin the steep hike and part our way from Naguni.

From here, the trek got little tough. You’ve to watch every step. The guys from MadTrek Adventures are very friendly and informative. During the hike, they continuously talk with you and show the flora & fauna. If you’re new to Hiking, try to exact as much as information from Kailash. And, If you want to know more about the mountains, the Little Shepherd Mithu will help you in that.

It took us One and a half hour to reach the campsite, time period depends on how fast you walk. I was busy in capturing the photos of surrounding and enjoying the feel of the Mountains.

After the 90 minutes of the awesome hike, we reached the Bhagda Campsite. This is where we pitched our camp.

We’re running out of time, reaching base camp is one thing, next we’ve to pitch two tents and also need water & wood for the dinner. They immediately went up and start chopping dried branches of trees to get some fire wood. I & Kailash start preparing for tent pitching. Everyone should learn how to pitch the tent, Kailash shows me how to pitch the tent. MadTrek Adventures are using Quechua Tents for the camping. On the campsite, MadTrek Adventures built one Mud house to boost Eco-tourism, if you’re afraid to spend night outside in the wild. You can sleep in the Mud house. Mountains weather are unpredictable, the weather turns once again, now it’s start drizzling. During that period, Mithu & Jitendar done with the water & wood and they’ve prepared tea for us. Tea during that weather is simply bliss. You can just sit outside the camp with the view of snow covered Mountain and hold the cup of tea. The overall aura was outstanding. You can stay here for the month without getting bored.

Around 10 PM, the rain stopped and we finally light up the fire outside the tent. But the good weather lasted only for few minutes. We finally called off our day and went inside the tent.

Had a rough night in the tent, around 4 AM, the snowfall was going on at the top of mountain and temperature suddenly dropped to -8° C.

Day 2 start with a magnificent view of Dhauladhar Mountain View. Because of snowfall, the entire mountain range covered in snow.

The MadTrek guys immediately start preparing for the hike to the Oat Trek. We had light breakfast and start our hike to Oatwhich is located at the height of 3200 m.The 2nd part of the trek is quite tough, the trail was steep and slippery because of the rain. And the next trail goes through the territory of panther & bear. The trail went through the forest with long trees, Sunlight hardly reaches on the ground.

After few hours of trek, the tall trees left behind and we entered into plain areas. There are different ecology on mountains and it continuously changed based on height.

At the height of 2800m, we found snow on the trail, through it was very little. The MadTrek guys told us that snowfall starts from December.

After resting at the top, we start our return journey with happy faces.

Host Abhinav is waiting for us at Nagooni. We’re very tired, because of rain trail was slippery, down journey was quite tough.

One more photo of Jeep trail while we heading back to Resort.

My overall experience of Trek to Oat at Lunta Valley in Dharamshala was awesome. Most of the tourist left for the Mcleod Ganj without knowing that there are some hidden gems in Dharamshala which is as good as Mcleod Ganj. The Oat Trek height is more than the Triund Trek. So I advise you to visit the Lunta Valley once.

Mathla Trail

Mathla

Bhagda Sunset

Sunset Loonta Village

Nagooni Fall

About MadTrek Adventures

MadTrek Adventures offers many activities in Dharamshala like

Family camping

Short Day Hiking

High altitude Trekking

Himalayan Safaris

Rock Climbing

Rappelling

Horse Riding

It is advisable to book the hiking with MadTrek Adventures, their price is low and has the experienced team. This trek is far away from civilization and is the land of wild animals like Bear & Panther, so Solo Hiking is not recommended on this trek. You should hire a guide.